Barista invents Irn Bru coffee - and it’s a hit

A cafe has started brewing “totally Scottish coffee” to customers after one of their baristas started adding Irn Bru to the mix.

Barista Daniel Todd in Brodie's Cafe in Linlithgow making his new coffee - with Irn Bru. Picture: HEMEDIA

Daniel Todd, 17, used Scotland’s second national drink and a shot of coffee to create his trademark brew.

And after wowing judges at a barista competition with his creation, Daniel’s cafe, Brodies in Linlithgow, has decided to serve his Irn Bru coffee to its customers.

Daniel, a first year physics student at Heriot Watt University, has worked at the coffee shop for just over a year, and admits he is a bit “obsessed” with coffee.

He said: “Irn Bru has become a sort of addiction for myself.

“I’m a bit of a coffee geek - I’m a bit obsessed. I’ve got my own grinder and a selection of beans.

“The drink is served as a short shot of espresso with a dash of cold irn bru.

“It’s really sweet tasting, like a Wham bar.

“I got the inspiration from slammers - a really strong shot of Espresso topped up with just a little of Irn Bru.

“As you’re drinking it it changes and you get different flavours. It starts tangy and then gets more coffee-ish as you get further down.”

Daniel was forced to think up his coffee creation at the last minute as he took part in the Lever Barista Championship in Edinburgh.

Contestants had to roast their own special blend of coffee and make an espresso, a flat white and a special concoction which allowed judges to gauge their expertise.

He said: “I remembered I was Scottish and I just thought, ‘what’s Scottish?’.

“I thought Irn Bru and coffee and tried to see what I could do there.”

He finished second in the competition, and the owner of Brodie’s, Margaret Moyies, is very proud of her barista’s efforts.

She said: “He did very well. He’s only 17 and to create his own drink is really excellent.

“We absolutely love it. Myself and the rest of the team have tried it and it’s really nice.

“With the Irn Bru it completely changes the flavour of the bean. You would not think it works, but it’s really, really nice.

“We’re now putting it on the menu for customers to try. It actually tastes really amazing. It’s a totally Scottish coffee.”

Daniel lives in student halls in the Capital but travels home to Bo’ness at weekends to allow him to keep his job at Brodies.

And despite studying for his degree he hopes to continue working with coffee for quite some time.

He said: “My next step is to do a jager bomb version with Irn Bru.

“I do really like working with coffee - it’s great fun.”